Most of us got our first daily doses of music from hardworking, reliable and honest radio Djs. It was always a thrill to me and millions of others to tune in a cheesy little plastic transistor radio and listen to the top 40 hits of the week, along with a five-minute newscast on the hour, ripped off the AP wire printer and read with heavy echo sound effects that made every story sound important. And the commercials! For acne creams and drag strips and toothpaste and soft drinks and hamburgers and the whole cornucopia of products and services of interest to the fans of Sam The Sham and The Pharaohs.
Incidentally, why did the word 'cheesy' come to connote 'meretricious'? I like cheese! We should say those radios were 'Brussels sprouts-y'!
Music just sounded better when delivered by a friendly voice and accompanied by jingles and sound effects and slogans, so that's why, when I think of music, I like to think of a disc jockey playing it for us.
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